Keith Hackett, the former head of refereeing in England, has praised Howard Webb for his "outstanding" World Cup and said the blame for such an ill-disciplined final must rest with the players.

Fifa's showpiece match finished with 14 bookings but, according to Hackett, that record tally could have been much higher without a referee of Webb's skill. "Anyone who criticises the officials lacks the knowledge and experience of someone who has refereed," said Hackett. "If you had a pedantic referee, you wouldn't have seen a game and the bench might have been overcrowded with people who got sent off.

"So many of the players were 'at it'. With the cynicism that we were seeing, it seems they came out with a plan. Howard spotted it and was able to react.

"He was mindful of the occasion, he was mindful that he did not want the image of the game tarnished and, when he needed to be tough, he was tough.

"He didn't lose his cool, he didn't overreact and I think out of that we eventually got a game. It might not have been the World Cup final everyone wanted to see but I think he has every right to come out of that game saying, 'job well done'."

Hackett has also called on Fifa to launch disciplinary proceedings against those Dutch players who reacted to their 1-0 defeat so ungraciously by blaming Webb and questioning his partiality. Dirk Kuyt, the Liverpool forward, claimed that Webb had "favoured" Spain, while Wesley Sneijder, who escaped punishment for a dangerous studs-up tackle in the first half, called Webb "a disgrace".

"If those comments were made by a player in the Premier League or Football League, then the Football Association would take action," said Hackett.

"Fifa are the upholders of the law and one would expect that those comments will not be overlooked. Howard held it together and worked his socks off to maintain control of what was one of the difficult matches you could have.

"His background as a police sergeant helped enormously with dealing with the flow of problems that he was encountering on a pretty regular basis."

It was certainly a match full of controversy, notably Nigel de Jong's kick to the chest of Xabi Alonso and Dutch appeals for offside and an earlier foul or corner in the build-up to Spain's winning goal. Hackett is adamant Webb got the major decisions right and paid tribute to his assistants, Darren Cann and Mike Mullarkey, whose performances throughout the tournament helped ensure that England had its first World Cup final referee since 1974.

Hackett, who was general manager of the Professional Game Match Officials' Board, believes that this achievement is reward for the professionalism and preparation of English match officials.

Top referees now work with a team of specialists. Webb even had altitude training at Sheffield Hallam University before travelling to South Africa, with Hackett describing his fitness during the 120-minute final as "spectacular".

"Referees are not in a shell or a cocoon; we are human beings," said Hackett. "He has also been inundated with text messages and emails of support, and he is really thankful for that.

"The Webb family should feel very proud of what he has achieved. Howard will have learnt from it and, when he looks at his World Cup medal, he will have every right to know that he earned it and earned it big time."